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It’s not hard at all to figure out how Joe Cocker comes to record and release a CD full of rock and pop classics. Rod Stewart’s series of American standards have revitalized his career, to the extent that the artist formerly known as Rod the Mod is all over the place again. Cocker is roughly a contemporary of Stewart, and has made a career of covering other people’s songs and making them his own. Cocker, however, reaches this point in time by a road somewhat divergent from and much rougher than Stewart’s. Stewart was never one to pass up a party, but Cocker was a throw down all by himself. Odds were that he wouldn’t see 1980/ John Belushi built a career around his impersonation of a drunken stumbling Cocker performing on stage. Who would have dreamed, as we sit here now, that Belushi is long-buried and Cocker is still with us.
I didn’t have high hopes for HEART AND SOUL, not at all, especially with the rather uneven selection of tunes. U2’s “One”? Puleeeze. And who in the name of all that is holy would have the temerity to cover “I Who Have Nothing” by Ben E. King? But. But. This is Joe Cocker, whose introduction to the world was the cover of a Beatles tune, one that he turned around and made his own (and yeah, I know that Ringo sang it, so it really doesn’t count, but still…). And, interestingly enough, he tries to do the same thing here, on the John Lennon tune “Jealous Guy,” with decent results. Still, it would have been fun to hear Cocker do some of these tunes when his creative juices were really flowing. Ultimately, however, this disc isn’t bad at all. Cocker approaches these songs like a 1968 Volkswagen approaches a cold Ohio morning. He revs up slowly, and you don’t think he’s going to make it, but something kicks in, he engages, and there he goes. Part of the reason for this may be the arrangements, which are uniformly inventive and unique while respectful of the origins of each particular tune. The other, of course, is Cocker, a man of considerable talent who, despite a prolonged bout of destructive behavior, remains a unique stylist. This is especially evident on such up-tempo numbers as “Chain Of Fools” and “What’s Goin’ On?,” and, as a general rule, the tunes on HEART & SOUL that rock out are better vehicles to display Cocker’s abilities than the ballads. Cocker’s fans have, I think, always been kind of split into two camps, one consisting of those who crank up the high energy tunes such as “Woman To Woman” and “Delta Lady” while the other camp enjoys the ballads such as “You Are So Beautiful” and “Up Where We Belong.” Both sets, however, will be in for a shock when “I Keep Forgettin’” hit’s the speakers. Anyone expecting the Michael MacDonald smooth, soulful treatment will be rocked back against the speakers. On the other hand, Cocker eschews the opportunity to belt out “I Put A Spell On You,” the Screaming’ Jay Hawkins’ shouter, choosing instead to let the arrangement and his own quirky but unerring sense of dynamics rule as he slowly builds to a dramatic ending. While there are a couple of misses --- the aforementioned “One” and, surprisingly, “Every Kind Of People” (which, for some reason, seems to go on for hours) --- Cocker either hits the mark, or is close enough, on most of these tracks to make HEART & SOUL worth the investment in money and time.
I’d love to see another effort along these lines by Cocker. I don’t know if he has the inclination to cut a straight up, out-and-out rock CD, covering tracks like The Black Crowes “Jealous Again” or some other, up-tempo, blue-eyed soul. Still, all in all, HEART & SOUL demonstrates that The Man has what it takes.
Price: $12.99
Buy at: Amazon.com
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Joe Hartlaub is in private law practice, specializing in entertainment law. He is the music editor for SavvyInsider.com
For a complete bio, click here.
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